Central Queensland Grazier Linda Hewitt writes:
This is the pictorial story of the disaster of the Central Queensland floods from our property “Fork Lagoon” which is approx 34kms west of Emerald. Fortunately we are one of the lucky ones, we got our stock moved to higher ground just in time.
These floods will prove disastrous for the Emerald and central Queensland economy. The losses suffered by the farming and mining industry which the Emerald township’s economy has been thriving on, will severely hurt the towns economy. This will take years to recover from.
A Brahman cow hanging on for dear life. She epitomizes the many many thousands of cattle washed away in the Belyando River Area. At least she made it. Many, many did not.
Click here to see all these photos in full screen size. They are very impressive in full size.

“Fork Lagoon” house is 3/4 surrounded – in trees at the centre left of the photo below. The water rushed out of the hills behind us and took out the road leading into the house, the dam wall and the fences etc. We received 6 inches (150mm) in about 5 hours, and another 4 inches (100mm) in the next few hours. All up we got 18.75 inches (470mm) for the 3 days. We’d already had one week of wet weather – drizzle – before this so the country was very wet already.

The supposed dam in front of the house. You can see on the right where the dam wall ends, there should be a dam wall going across the front of the “island” which we had purposely left in the middle of our house dam. We have retained water at the old water level, and the dam is beautifully clean now. Always a positive to every negative.

Colin Hewitt & son Jack inspecting damage in Jacks chopper about 11am. Water had peaked during the night, so these photo’s do not show the highest levels.

Flying west of our house, Kettle Creek, running past our house, going through “Fork Lagoon” towards Emerald over the low range about 34kms away.

The 6 Charolais bulls we though had been swept away. By now you can see some of the water has receded. These boys would have had a terrifying night.

Fork Lagoon house on left.

One of the 5 dam banks burst. Water came so quickly it just went straight over the top. The dams never had a chance with the huge tide of water that hit.

Another dam bank gone. Water has taken the entire front wall. Note the top of the fence lines are just visable out of the water at top left of the photo below. This photo was taken many hours after the waters peaked.

This Grain Feeder had 2-3 Tonnes of feed in it. It got picked up and floated over 2 fences, without breaking a wire in them. It finished up on its head. It has to be deep, strong flowing water to do that.

One of our neighbors Machinery Shed.

Crops near Emerald. This is a high walled Irrigation Ring Tank surrounded by prime cropping land. Ring Tanks are filled by pumping into them not by catching run-off. Hence the blue coloured water (rain water) in the tank and the brown sea of flood water outside the tank. Wasn’t far from going straight over the top of it – amazing.

Mick & Jack doing hay drops to stranded cattle.

Flooding around the town of Emerald.

The country just outside of Emerald was an “inland sea”. The dot you can see in the middle is a Brahman Cow that had managed to hang on to a small spot of high ground.

Some people had driven cars out on the high ground on main roads outside of their farms, meaning to walk out to the cars if it got too bad. But the water came so quick and so high that the cars themselves got drowned. Even those that were well prepared got caught out!!!!





























Shadow Minister for Transport Tim Nicholls also welcomed the news saying “the $4.8 million a year investment was important in guaranteeing Queenslander’s had access to affordable, reliable transport, no matter what part of the State they lived in.”





































Peter Spencer has claimed that the NSW Government at the request of the Commonwealth has destroyed the productive use of his land, by means of the harsh implementation measures both governments have adopted under the National Vegetation Initiative.

